A Single Second
by EnglandBabe1997
Summary: Everything can change in a single second. Or, in which Charles Xavier is shot in the throat and not the spine.


**This was something that came to me a while ago – not particularly long, but it's my first thing for the X-men fandom, so please read and review xx**

Charles watched from the ground dismayed as the missiles flew towards the gathering ships. He couldn't believe what he'd just said - that he'd just said that to _Erik_. Innocent people following orders, and he'd just said that to _Erik._

It wasn't exactly his finest moment - or his smartest.

But he could ponder his intelligence, or lack of it, later. Right now lives depended on him. Innocent lives that _were_ just following orders.

He surged up again, grappling for the metal that was holding thoughts from him, that was preventing him from stopping what was about to happen, as little as he believed he would be able to take control of Erik should he finally manage to remove the helmet. After only a moment he collapsed back onto the sand, fresh pain blossoming in his nose, and even as he struggled he found himself pinned onto the ground by Erik, strong with his life of training.

He wasn't going to be able to stop the carnage - not like this, pressed into his back on the sand. Charles reached for the helmet again but Erik shoved him down yet again and sprung to his feet; hand still outstretched, fingers splayed.

In the anticipatory silence came the sounds of gunshots.

Charles turned slightly, watching Moira fire her gun at Erik. Even though it was working - Erik had turned to face her - Charles still tried to get to his feet. He'd failed to stop this – he hadn't managed to stop Erik from becoming _this_, from becoming Shaw. He staggered slightly as he struggled, the shots ringing in his ears and there was a sharp pain that tore across his throat.

He slumped back onto the ground legs crumpling beneath him.

"Charles!"

Erik's voice was faint, fainter than the others mental voices, and streaked with terror and horror and confusion, and the roaring in his ears; was it the wind? The sea? The blackbird? It seemed so much louder than any of them, like a tornado inside his mind, accompanied by the pain in the minds of the beach's other occupants.

He felt himself cradled in someone's arms, gently.

"You. You did this." Even Charles could hear the threatening tone to it, concealing barely suppressed sobs.

He felt rather than saw Moira choke and writhe, grapping at her neck, at the dog tags that were making their way into her wind pipe.

He tried to tell Erik to stop but he couldn't talk through the searing pain in his throat and his struggles to penetrate Erik's mind simply rebounded off him. Instead he grabbed onto to Raven's, doing what he'd promised he wouldn't since childhood.

She cried out and fell to her knees as Charles' panicked mind overpowered her. He was sorry for the violent intrusion but it did the job. Erik was momentarily distracted long enough to release Moira and she fell to the sand, clutching her throat, dark bruises already forming.

"Raven!" Hank ran towards her, and knelt beside her, holding her up.

"Charles. He's in my head."

Erik froze and swivelled towards her, still holding Charles in the sand.

"It wasn't Moira's fault. It wasn't anyone's. It was an accident," Raven repeated in an accent that was not her own, tears streaming down her face.

"Charles?"

"I can't hear you. I can hear them. Erik, I can't hear you." Raven looked terrified.

Erik looked confused for a split second before choking. He reached up, hands trembling, to the helmet and took it off. It hit the sand with a thud.

Almost immediately pain burst in Erik's head and he pressed a shaking hand to his temple. It took a few seconds before the pain subsided, squashed viciously and pulled under the surface.

"Charles?"

"Erik." Charles' mental voice was soft and tired, with an undercurrent of the pain he was trying to contain.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Erik hadn't cried since before his mother had died.

"It's not your fault." The reply came softly in his mind.

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it I'd. I deflected the bullet."

"You weren't aiming it." his mental voice was softer now, and strained.

Erik decided not to argue - not now. "What do I do?"

"Take the others. Get them off the beach. All of them."

"I meant to help." Erik's voice shook.

"This is helping."

"To help you."

"You can't."

Erik choked on the pin-hole gap that was his throat. "Please..."

"You can't do anything."

Raven fell to the sand, her body wracked with sobs at the mere memory of the pain her brother was currently experiencing. "Raven..."

"Yes Charlie," she said, calling him by the childish nickname only she had ever been allowed to use.

"Look after the boys, yes? Hank. Take good care of my sister."

Hank shuddered slightly, breathing deeply. Sean had tears running down his face, standing next to Alex who looked more frozen than a statue. Even the usually stoic and cold Angel looked ready to burst into tears.

"I promise."

"Erik..."

"Yes Charles?" Unlike the others Erik had no problems looking at the mess of what was once Charles' throat. In fact, Erik was surprised he's held on this long - but not at all ungrateful.

"Take care of them. All of them." Erik nodded. "And yourself. Don't forget yourself. Don't lose yourself my friend." His mental voice trailed off the barely a whisper, the pain still hovering at the edges of their minds until it faded away. Erik hadn't realised how present it was until it had gone away - like the sun had gone in. Charles' blue eyes darkened and his grip on Erik's sleeve slackened.

Raven burst into hysterical sobs. Hank rushed to wrap his arms around her, pressing her into his side. She huddled into his fur.

And on the beach lay the body of Charles Xavier, throat destroyed, held by his dearest friend who wept helplessly at his side.

He would never be helpless again. Not like this, not when it _hurt_.

The humans would pay.


End file.
